A Different Kind of Pretend
by CrackerjacknPez
Summary: A restless night promising no respite. An unwelcome visitor. Drama ensues. Read on to find out what I'm babbling about.....
1. A Dangerous Encounter

**A Different Kind of Pretend**

Disclaimer: The Pretender and all its characters, insanity, and questions (with no answers, might I add) in the episodes and movies are not mine, blah, blah, blah. I'm just a college student learning the fine art of writing while trying to express my own artistic ability in the way of Pretender fanfiction. If you sue, all you'll get will be my textbooks, notes, and frustration.

A/N: In the Pilot episode, Miss Parker mentions Onisius, the Greek god of retribution. Upon searching the internet on this fact, I have found that the god of retribution is actually a goddess named Nemesis. I have decided to keep Onisius for the purpose of keeping the story straight. But, just so you know. g OK, I think there's just one more thing. The raven who says "nevermore", mentioned in this chapter, is from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven".

THANK YOU!! To Janna, my roommate who knows _just enough_ the Pretender to help me learn more about writing!

BIG KUDOS TO Em, Anna, and Jay for help on getting ideas, running through different scenarios, and for all kinds of advice!! I really couldn't have done it without you!!

Alright, I turn you loose to my first fanfic! Enjoy! Please, Read/Review for me, please? I'm still a fanfic writer in training. g Thanks!!

CHAPTER 1: A Dangerous Encounter

Jarod sighed, exhausted. It was going to be a lonnnnnnnng night. He closed the door to another lonely evening and leaned tiredly against the hotel room wall, closing his eyes for just a moment before gathering enough strength to drag himself over to the bed. He sat down, sliding the silver Halliburton briefcase under the bed. With another tired sigh, the rest of him fell to the bed with a soft thump and his eyes closed once more to claim what was his -- sleep. Now if only he could have just one night of dreamless sleep.

_It was dark, save for a solitary light in front of him. Looking around, all he could see were square shadows, like boxes stacked on top of one another. He heard voices passing him. The loudest voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had heard the voice before. He heard his name and impulsively shrank back. The words were indistinct as they faded. The single light faded with the voices._

_The light slowly returned, highlighting a raven cawing on a distant tree branch. Jarod could hear it repeating, "Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore." He frowned thoughtfully. Nevermore? What does it mean? Before he could respond, the raven flew over Jarod, dropping an origami figurine as it passed. Upon further scrutiny, he recognized it as Onisius, the Greek god of retribution. Again the light faded to black, but he felt the origami paper transform into feathers. Life seemed to change the still feathers in his hand into a growing, struggling bird. Startled, he lets go of it. It flies away and returns seconds later to land on his shoulder. He stares at it as it turns its head to gaze its soul-less eyes at his._

Jarod bolted awake. What a nightmare. So real, so vivid, so... disturbing. What did it all mean? He looked at his hands. They were shaking. He heard a noise at the door. Blearily, he looked at his watch. Who would want him at 2 in the morning? He slowly got up, making his way to the door as the scratching continued. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. As he started to open the door, he began to get a sinking feeling and paused. Taking his hand off the doorknob, he quietly moved back to the bed and reached under. His hand touched the handle of the Halliburton. Pulling it out, he got up and went to the bathroom, where the fire escape was located just outside, and unlocked and opened the window. He guided the case gently down the wall until it rested on the landing. Closing the window most of the way, he left the bathroom. He set aside the sinking feeling, figuring it was just post-nightmare jitters, and went to the door.

"Who's th- Huh?!?!?" Miss Parker's smug smirk stared back at him. Jarod was taken aback. Instinctively he frantically backed up. He was wide awake now, his heart pumping rapidly.

Miss Parker advanced as fast as he retreated. "Yes!" she cried out in triumph, a flathead screwdriver in hand. She invaded his latest lair with sweepers following. "Finally, I catch you off guard! No more 3 a.m. calls to mock me, no more mystery packages filled with clues to uncover," she crowed, sending shivers of dread down Jarod's spine.

Jarod looked around for means of escape, noticing sweepers had surrounded him while his attention was on Miss Parker. Oh crap he thought. Crap crap crap crap crap. He mentally went through his options, most of which would end up with him getting hurt if not dead. The last option, though, was a possibility. Jarod inwardly sighed, figuring it was worth a shot.

Miss Parker grinned in delight as Jarod's body language revealed his despair. She nodded to two sweepers who grabbed each of Jarod's arms. "Are you going to make this easy or hard? I can go either way. The difference between the two, however, is the amount of hurt you'll be subjecting yourself to." She walked nearer to the pretender and pressed her Smith and Wesson to the side of his head. "Well?"

Jarod sighed in surrender. "Okay, Miss Parker. You win. I'll go quietly. Could I have a last request, though?"

Miss Parker smirked. "You can ask, but there are no guarantees."

"I need to use the facilities first." Jarod looked into Miss Parker's eyes pleadingly.

Miss Parker laughed at him. "Sure, as soon as sweepers inspect for any possible escape routes first." She gestured for two more to investigate. Nodding, they went. "In the meantime, however..." She pulled out a set of handcuffs, smirking. "Hold out your hands."

Prodded by the gun aimed at him and a pair of sweepers keeping their firm grasp of him, Jarod sighed and did as he was told.

Miss Parker grabbed each of his wrists and deftly clicked the cuffs in the lock position on each wrist. "This should hinder any escape attempts," she smugly said. For a minute Jarod didn't answer.

Finally, Jarod spoke up quietly. "Are we always going to be like this?"

Not expecting Jarod to speak, Miss Parker raised an eyebrow. "Are we always going to be like what? You run, I chase?" She snorted. "Not after I deliver you back to the Centre."

Jarod looked her in the eye. "Do you _really_ think they'll let you go just because I'd be back? Think again, Miss Parker. They'll own you until you're dead.. that is, unless you fight back."

Miss Parker let out an exasperated sigh and glared at the pretender. "And how am I supposed to do THAT, boy genius? No one can fight the Centre and live."

Jarod looked deeply into Miss Parker's eyes. "Come with me, Miss Parker. We were friends once." Jarod's voice took on a sad tone. "I still remember that little girl who kept my spirits up when times were tough."

Miss Parker's exasperated face softens. "You know I can't do that, Jarod." Her voice was barely audible.

"Remember, Miss Parker. I can help, but you have to first let go. A drowning man can't be helped until he stops struggling."

Her face hardened. "So now I'm drowning, is that it?" She shot back, her face once again as stone.

Jarod's once hopeful face fell. He looked straight in Miss Parker's eyes and bluntly replied, "If you don't stop struggling, both you and I will drown."

She retorted, "If I were you, I'd stop worrying so much about me and more about your own sorry little – "

"It's clear, Miss Parker," a tall but slim, black-haired sweeper reported. The sweepers were back.

"Good," she replied, turning to the sweeper who had spoken. "Now sweep this apartment. Maybe we can take home a two-for-one bonus in the form of the DSA's." She smirked at Jarod, who turned his head away, and gloated. Again nodding, the sweepers obeyed. "You can go, but with an escort. I'm not going to take my chances of you escaping." Gesturing with her weapon for Jarod to move, she, Jarod, and the two sweepers guarding him made their way to the bathroom.


	2. Creativity In A Solution

Disclaimer: For the official disclaimer, read it in Chapter 1. Otherwise, I'll have to assume you're too lazy to read it, and therefore too lazy to care, so you're probably not gonna sue anyway, so there. :-p And, oh yeah, the phrase from a certain writer's fanfic, as well as the quote from the "Princess Bride", aren't mine either. Obviously.

A/N: Thank you to all of you who left reviews, Porkywine, Jacci, Runner Sims, Ann, earthdrago, and Blademistress!! And thank you for being so patient with me as I stalled, procrastinated, stalled some more, and finally set my patootie down to write the rest! Now it's as perfect as I can get it.

A/N Part 2: Also, thoughts in the story are within carrots ( ) . I tried using asterisks in chapter 1, but apparently, they're not showing up.

A/N Part 3: And, another also, g there's a part in here that I got from a line in my all-time favorite movie "Princess Bride"... see if you can spot it! wink There's also a part that I got from a fanfic earthdrago wrote (BTW, thanks, earthdrago! wink, g ); it's from the fanfic, "Car Crashes and Change".

Earthdrago - Thanks for a different perspective on that last part! I see how it could be construed as that, g but that's not the case, as you will see.

Blademistress-thank you for the compliment!

And a really special thanks to Anna, Annie, Em, and Jay for all your helpful suggestions!!

Special Note: To Anna, Em, n Jay - g How're your fanfics comin' along, guys? innocent 

OK, here's the next chapter, finally. Hope you like it. Let me know!

A Different Kind of Pretend

Chapter 2: Creativity In A Solution

Passing the desk, Jarod spotted a paperclip in the midst of the neat clutter and a small smile escaped. The genius brain strikes again , he thought, hiding the smile again. Nonchalantly glancing around to ensure his action would go unnoticed, he quickly picked it up.

He had no reason to worry. The sweepers were too busy keeping watch for unwanted company, as well as possible escape routes they thought Jarod could take if left to his own devices.

Mistaking the pause for a delay tactic, Miss Parker smirked and shoved Jarod forward. "Move, genius. Delay tactics will only put off the inevitable; you're still headed back to the Centre."

"Yes, well, it was worth a shot, so I couldn't resist," Jarod sardonically replied, discreetly slipping the paperclip in his pocket. The covert action went undetected.

Within seconds, they were at the bathroom door.

"Now just do it and make it snappy, Labrat." Miss Parker snapped. "And the sooner the better, we don't have all day. And you two," turning to the guarding sweepers, "stick with him like glue."

Jarod raised his eyebrows. "Whatever you say, Miss Parker," his mild tone overwhelmingly clear. He entered the bathroom, ignoring the sweepers behind him. The door closed with a soft thump, leaving behind Miss Parker.

Jarod imperturbably looked around the bathroom while doing his business and spotted a can of shaving cream. He bowed his head, pretending to be concentrating, and smiled. This was going to be fun. But first, to get the sweepers' minds off their job. "So, you two been working for her long?" he asked casually. "You don't seem to be the dumb kind she usually goes for."

One of the sweepers was quick to reply. "Long enough to know not to listen to slippery pretenders. Now shut up and get done."

The other one, a musle-toned bulky man with dirt-brown hair spoke up. "Aw, Jim, he can't be that clever, if we caught him this soon into the search." He turned to the pretender. "Me and him, we started around the same time."

Jim added, "and smart enough, so don't get any funny ideas," with a scowl.

Jarod agreed. "Yes, you are. I was definitely caught unaware. Nice job," he smiled.

Jim just harumphed and kept silent.

Jarod turned his head to the other sweeper and offhandedly asked, "Now I know Jim's name, but what's yours?" The muscled sweeper flushed. "You know, so I can recommend you two for a raise." He turned on the water and dispensed the soap.

"Tony." Tony beamed with pleasure from the praise.

He finshed rinsing his hands and grabbed a towel. He could hear Miss Parker shouting through the door as he turned the water off.

"No more yammerin', now, I mean it." Jim ordered and raised his gun to show his sincerity.

"Okay," Jarod replied nonthreateningly. "I'll be quiet."

"Good." Jim lowered the gun, his tone even and his eyes like slits.

Miss Parker sighed and leaned against the wall. She ran her fingers through her hair with one hand, pulling out a cigarette box from her pocket with the other. She lit one and sighed. It's been seven minutes, according to her watch. How long could a labrat take in the bathroom? She looked around the room in front of her. One sweeper was guarding the entrance door, the other guarding the window. Good . She's got sweepers that know what they're doing. Miss Parker smirked at the thought. Sweepers who are constantly alert are aware of their surroundings at all times. Sighing again, she turned to the door.

"C'mon, Boy Wonder!!" she yelled through the door. "No more stalling!" She smirked when she heard the faucet turn off. Finally. She rolled her eyes.

Jarod put the towel down, shifting his gaze from the shaving cream to Jim then back again. If her voice is any clue, it's now or never. Jarod thought as he grabbed the shaving cream and squirted it in Jim's face. "Sorry to have to rush out of here like this, but you look busy anyway," he commented. Jim's reply was a startled gasp and an angry growl. Jarod twisted his body to face Tony.

Jarod kicked him in his groin before Tony had a chance to react. "Sorry Tony, you seem a nice enough guy, but I can't have you following me, either." Jarod apologetically continued and bowed, remembering a recent multi-faceted movie he saw recently and quoted the hero of the story, as Tony collapsed to the floor with a groan. " 'Please understand I have only the highest respect for you.' " Tony could only squeak out a response.

Jarod searched through Tony's pockets and fished out keys, unlocking his cuffs and cuffing the sweepers' hands together. He briefly rubbed his wrists and went to the window, opening it the rest of the way from its cracked position. He climbed through it as quietly as he could. Any noise now would drastically reduce the little escape time he already had. He knew Miss Parker and her unwelcome entourage would not wait outside the bathroom door for much longer. He landed with a soft ping. Quietly closing the window, he cautiously grabbed hold of the silver case containing his life sitting next to him. He made his way down the stairs of the fire escape, dropped to the ground with a thump, and ran.

Jarod turned around the next corner and stopped, cautiously looking back behind him. He cautiously looked back over his shoulder. There was no one following him, but that could change very quickly if he didn't get out of there. He continued running until he saw a Greyhound bus with a line of people waiting to get on. He looked up at the sign for the bus' destination. "Austin", he read. He smiled and went in the bus station to get a ticket. Fortunately, there wasn't much of a line. He went out to the bus and boarded, smiling as he went. Watching the scenery go past, he thought about the city he was leaving. Navasota was a nice town, as was Conroe, the city preceding this one on his exploration of Texas, and he wished he didn't have to leave so soon. He'd have to come back and visit again sometime, but now wasn't the time. Now, it was time to go west. Miss Parker and Company would never suspect he'd simply go to another city in the same state.

TBC (pending reviews! cheesy evil grin )


	3. Another One Alone

Disclaimer: Our regularly scheduled disclaimer will not be shown today. It is being replaced by something a lot less boring, a lot more interesting, and a lot more applicable to the Author's feelings toward disclaimers: PPPPPPPPPPPPPPBBBBBBBBTTTTTTTTTT. Thank you, that is all. :oP

A/N: This chappie is dedicated to Rubes and Bec... Thamk you!! You guys rock. And thanks to all of you who reviewed!

Crazyrussiangal and Pretenderfan, LOLLL I'm all for J and MP getting together! Let's see where the story takes us, all of us.

AJandT04, I'm writing as quickly as my inspiration lets me.. send me some nice and obedient plot bunnies, please! (Don't know what they are? Ask Sezzie. :-P)

Anto, Thanks for the compliment! I really am trying to make it as Pretender-ish as I can, which is probably why updates aren't as frequent as I'd like. The rest of the story is still in all the secret compartments of my imagination, hidden and concealed solely, I'm sure, for my annoyance.. I'm still trying to find 'em. :-p If you see any plot bunnies running around, let me know. (Don't know what they are? Ask Sezzie. :-P) The reason why I thought Jarod would open his door at 2 am is b/c he has no reason to think that MP found him already. He was caught off guard because he wasn't expecting her to just appear at his door, especially that early in the morning. This is one of the few times MP outsmarts J, flipping his manipulating plans upside down. This usually happens when J gets cocky and underestimates the Ice Queen.

OK, here's the next chapter... Hope you like it. Let me know!

**A Different Kind of Pretend**

**Chapter 3: Another One Alone**

3 months later…

Jarod yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. What city was he in now? He looked out the window and searched for a city sign. "Boulder," it read. _Hmm._ So. He was in Colorado now. _Must have been a looong nap._ He looked around the Greyhound bus, his "home" for the past three days. The lights were dimmed, allowing the other passengers sleep. Jarod smiled at the thought of sleep. _Finally_, he mused, _restful sleep didn't elude me._ The bus slowed to a stop. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and grabbed his bag. He got up, following a few other people ahead of him to the head of the bus. He went down the steps and got off. Spotting his other bags, and the beloved silver case, he picked them up, thanking the bus driver as he left.

Jarod looked around. Boulder was more scenic than Texas, landscape-wise. Green and purple painted the horizon. There were mountains as far as the eye could see, and all the fresh air a free man could want. Jarod smiled. As beautiful as "Wild West" Texas was, the long, awe-inspiring mountain range and woodsy areas were a nice change. He smiled. _Beautiful. Just like Miss Parker, the **real** Miss Parker.._ Jarod sobered at the thought of the ever-elusive dream and saddened. _If only she would only let herself.. **show**._ She never let her real self out; instead, she insisted her "Ice Queen" persona was the real her. _If only she knew. If only she understood it was **okay** , even beautiful, to have a softer side. If only she **believed** she could survive – even thrive – with the softer Miss Parker she keeps locked up inside. If only…_ Jarod sighed, shaking his head. _Stop that, Jarod. Dwelling on "if only"s will only accomplish one thing – heartache and misery. Now is not the time to dwell on wishes._ He headed over to a nearby stand and bought the local paper and some candy. He was running low on Pez. Absentmindedly thanking the vendor as he walked away, he folded it and put it in his notebook, the Pez in his pocket.

''''

It was dusk, sundown quickly approaching. A set of footsteps running went past the alley. Voices and more footsteps approached on the street just feet from where a girl was hiding. The voices were shouting, yet the words being said were indistinct. All she could tell was that they were chasing after someone. She hoped it was whoever ran before them, anyone but her. She scrunched down even more, making sure the shadows of the stack of boxes were hiding hers.

''''

Jarod opened the door to his first floor motel room and set his stuff down by the coat rack. Kicking the door shut, he picked up the silver Halliburton case and gently slid it under the bed next to the nightstand. Standing up, he took a good look around. Ever since the incident in Navasota, he wasn't taking any chances. The inspection was the same with every room he's ever stayed in since. The bathroom was directly across from the coat rack, next to the door. There were two windows side by side on the wall opposite the door. He walked over and opened them. _Good. Big enough to crawl through, high enough to hide below the window line, and plenty of bush cover_, he analyzed. _Now, the bathroom, in case there is to be a repeat occurrence_. He closed them, leaving one open a millimeter, and headed to the bathroom. No windows. _Well, there goes that idea. Although..._ He looked up. _That vent might be something to work with._ He smiled in satisfaction as he stepped up onto the toilet seat and took a closer look at the vent. It was screwed in. _Easily undone_, he thought approvingly. He'll have to make sure he had a screwdriver.

Finally feeling safe, he flopped onto the bed and opened the newspaper. There was a town meeting the previous night to discuss some new development plans, an advisory of a couple roads closing due to construction, even an article about the results of spelling bee finals. There was nothing, however, that needed Jarod's help at this time. _Good,_ he mused. _As rewarding as it is, nice to get a little break every once in a while. Time to relax._

He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the TV remote. He turned it on and started flipping through the channels. Something on the Sci-Fi channel intrigued him, so he stopped there. After a few minutes of watching, he saw it was the X-Files. Smiling, he shook his head. Aliens and UFOs? Nonsense. _They should do an episode on the Centre, if they want something "out there",_ he mused. _Heck, even a series of episodes wouldn't be enough. If **that** wasn't "out there", nothing was._ What was that phrase? Ah, yes. Truth is stranger than fiction. _Heh, **that's** for sure._

''''

She shivered in the dimly lit alley. As hot as it was in the daytime, summer nights sure were brisk. She rubbed her arms to get rid of the goose bumps. She must have dozed off sometime after the shouting faded. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around. The sun had not only long since disappeared, it seems to be coming back already. _Wow,_ she thought, _I must have been **tired**, to have been able to sleep **that** long._ The nightmares usually gave her little respite from daytime troubles. It was good to have some peace. _And not a moment too soon_, she relished with relief._ Running sure gets a girl plumb tuckered out._ She stood up and stretched. Her stomach growled. Time for a bite to eat. Perhaps there's a nice little restaurant in need of a dishwasher, willing to let a girl work off a filling breakfast. She ambled out into the growing sunlight from the dismal alley with anticipation, her frayed backpack bouncing on her back.

''''

The sun woke him up. He sat up, stretching, and looked at the clock. The big red numbers read 7:00. He vaguely remembered dozing off, sometime between "X-Files" and "The Late Show with David Letterman". He liked the part where David read off The Top Ten list. It had something to do with supermodels. He was puzzled, however. Why is it funny that blondes are constantly pushed into the "dumb" stereotype? He knew plenty of smart people with blonde hair. He shook his head in bewilderment and focused one thought: breakfast. _I think I saw a nice little restaurant on the way from the station. I hope they have blueberry waffles.. they're delicious!_ He reveled in the happy thought of his latest yummy discovery, blueberries and syrup, and got dressed.

The walk wasn't long, as Boulder wasn't that big. After the three-day bus ride, it was nice to stretch his legs. He even jogged a little, to get his heart pumping.

_Ah, here it is._ Jarod walked in the door of Bob's Home Eats and chose a booth in the back. No harm being careful. _This is perfect, right by the door._ A waitress came over and inquired about coffee. He nodded his assent and watched her as she poured him a cup. Her customer supplied with plenty of sugar, the waitress went away with his order. The previous customer had left the day's paper, much to his fortune. He opened it and began reading.

''''

Her stomach full, she began washing dishes. For some reason, the simple chore was pleasant, soothing, for her. When it's just her and the dishes, there was no one to yell at her for how she did her job, what they thought of her performance, or insist she did it better. The owner sure was nice, she reflected. From the first moment she walked in the nice ma and pa's restaurant, Mr. Bob was nothing but kind. He saw her for what she was, an honest girl willing to trade a meal for some decent work. He was fair and did not demand too much work for penance. The time went quickly as she worked, humming softly and banging dishes.

''''

It wasn't long before a big stack of waffles, drowning in maple syrup, appeared in front of Jarod. He gave a very happy thanks to the waitress and dug in. It tasted as good as it smelled. He marveled at the presence of blueberries in every bite, and the perfect ratio of syrup for each piece he cut. _This is worth every mile I've run from them_, he enthused. He was wiping the remains of the syrup with the last piece when the waitress came back.

"Is everything to your liking, sir?" the waitress asked. She had a tag with the name "Heather" on her uniform.

"It's very good, Heather! Thank you."

Heather smiled. "You must have been hungry," she commented. "Anything else?"

Jarod smiled. "Thank you, I was. Orange juice would be wonderful, if you've got it."

The waitress smiled and nodded, then walked away.

''''

_There. All done_, she thought with satisfaction _And just in time._ She turned her head as Bob walked in the kitchen. "All done, sir. Thank you for letting me work for my breakfast."

Bob smiled. "You're welcome, Reyna." He looked around the kitchen. "Looks like you've done a great job." He walked over to the shelf of dishes and picked one up. "Yup, a great job indeed! Looks like you just earned yourself another meal. Just come by sometime."

Reyna perked up, her eyes brightly lit up. "Thank you, sir! I definitely will." She shook his hand with both of hers. "Thank you. I really appreciate the chance you gave me."

"No problem. You're welcome here any time, ya hear?" Bob grinned.

Reyna nodded, her face shining. "Yessir, I hear." She picked up her bag and strode toward the back door. She opened the door and turned around. "Thank you." She disappeared out the doorway, the door gently closing behind her.

She was in her own little world as she was leaving the little café, oblivious to the world around her. She was just passing an alley when a pair of hands grabbed one of hers.

''''

Jarod walked out of the little café. He had just turned the corner when he heard a shriek and someone being pulled into a nearby alley.

TBC


	4. Secrets

A/N: For those of you who have been waiting for this, thank you for being so patient! I know I shouldn't be posting as I write, but I can't help it! Hope you understand, and I hope this calms your anxiety about my continuance as a writer:-p And, as always, be sure to review… please, with cherries on top:p

This chapter is dedicated to Fox, who actually answered one of our pleas with four seasons on DVD! Thank you.. Now, the movies, please!

**A Different Kind of Pretend**

**Chapter 4: Secrets**

Reyna was in her own little world as she was leaving the little café, oblivious to the world around her. Finally, she felt she didn't have a care in the world. After all she's been through, _finally_ she's getting a break. Her first major interaction with people ended successfully, and with a full stomach to boot! She sighed contentedly. She turned a corner. Kids playing, dogs barking, all felt right with the world. She was just passing an alley when a pair of hands grabbed one of hers.

A hand covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to not tear up. _C'mon, Rey, now's not the time for waterworks. Calm down, concentrate, and think._ Her quickened heartbeat slowed once more. She opened her eyes again. A burly teenage girl enveloped her view. In fact, the very same muscles attached to the girl were connected to the pair of hands that held her up. Reyna looked down and saw her feet were dangling about a foot off the ground. _Whoa._ She thought.

"Well, well, well. Lookee here, girls! What do we have here?" her captor sneered. She swung Reyna around so her posse could better see their catch. There before her were three other girls, all wearing faded t-shirts and tattered blue jeans. Reyna judged they were about her age, though they couldn't be more different. Based on how they were dressed, she guessed they grew up on the streets, in chaos and anarchy. Reyna couldn't help thinking it was very different from where she has been brought up, in the midst of drab uniforms, unceasing demand, and constant direction.

Reyna was suddenly shaken out of her seconds-long observation, literally. "Yo, girl, you deaf or somethin'?" demanded the muscled teen. "I said, gimme your dough! Hey, Rocky, why don'cha help her?" She smirked. She put her down and shoved her against the wall. The group surrounded Reyna as the one referred to as Rocky stepped forward and returned the smirk.

"Sure thing, Muscles." She pushed Reyna to the ground and searched her pockets. "Nuthin'." She went on to go through the backpack Reyna had dropped. "Nope," Rocky shook her head. "Just a notebook and clothes, and shabby at that. She's poorer 'den a beggar on a deserted corner…" She paused as she found a shiny object stowed in the bottom of the bag. "Oho, what's this?" She grinned. "A nice watch. What'd you do, steal it? Heh, you shoulda gone straight to the pawn shop. Tell ya what, we'll take it off your hands for you. Save you the trouble of, you know, pawning it." Rocky snickered as she put it in Muscles' waiting hand.

"Please, that's the last thing I got from my dad before he died! Please, don't take that." Reyna stood up, her pleading eyes meeting the leader's cold pair. "You can take anything else, but… please, just not… not that!" Her eyes were threatening another forecast of rain for her face.

She scoffed. "At what, pray tell, do you have in that **pathetic** bag that **we** would want?" the leader sneered. "Just tattered clothes and a useless notebook. Nah, I think we'll just keep the watch." She grinned nastily.

Something in Reyna snapped. In a burst of energy, she sprang up and went at the teen like a tiger attacking its prey. She leapt at Muscles and snatched the watch from her hand. The force knocked both to the ground. Reyna rolled away, got up, and sprinted toward the entryway of the alley. Almost out, she looked back. Muscles had recovered and was heading after her, her gang following.

''''

Jarod walked out of the little café. He had just turned the corner when he heard a shriek and someone being pulled into a nearby alley. Looking around, he saw the commotion going on was in the alley. The continuing noises ahead prompted him to hurry. Rounding its corner, he turned. He saw a group of big kids beating up a lone girl. Concern turned to anger. "Hey, leave her alone!"

The girl looked up from her protective curled-up shell. Just moving made her abused muscles protest, but what she saw made it worth it. Someone was here to help. She stared at the man's face. She didn't recognize the face, but the dark, brown pool in the eyes sparked a hint of a memory.

The gang paused as one. One of them looked up and spoke. "Mind your own business, punk!"

Jarod ran up to them and half shoved, half tossed one against the wall. "I said, leave her alone! She didn't do anything to you." He picked up another one. Heaving her in the same general direction as the last one, he gently lifted up the bruised body. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly. She could only groan, too tired to move.

The biggest girl tackled Jarod. "Ya wanna bet? She owes us!" Jarod deflected her attack with one-armed ease, "helping" her join the other two.

Jarod raised an eyebrow. "You want to join the others?" he asked the last thug. She mutely shook her head. "Good. Then leave." She darted out, the others limping after her.

Jarod watched them until they left, then laid the girl gently on the ground. Taking off his jacket, he scrunched it up in a ball and placed it under her head. He looked her over. "Well, it doesn't look like anything's broken…"

"No, but it sure feels like it." Reyna cracked a smile and managed a laugh. She winced. "Ow."

Jarod smiled. He gently did a closer examination of her injuries. "No, nothing's broken, though you've got some good-sized bruises, and a few cuts. They didn't do as much damage as I was afraid of." He took a tissue from his pocked and dabbed at the cut on her eyebrow. "Can you sit up?"

Reyna painstakingly tried to sit up. Her face expression in doing so prompted Jarod to help her move closer to the wall. She leaned against it, closing her eyes in relief. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He leaned against the boxes beside her. "You know," Jarod remarked as he turned his head toward her, "'you may not have any broken bones, but we really should get you to a hospital. There could be internal bleeding."

Her eyes shot up in fright. "No! We can't!"

"Why not?" Jarod met her eyes in concern. "You could be seriously hurt. There may be some internal bleeding."

She shook her head emphatically. "No. No hospitals." She shifted uncomfortably, scooting backwards as inconspicuously as she could. "I'm, uh… I, I hate hospitals."

Jarod was taken aback. "What's wrong? It's okay, no one is going to hurt you. They're there to help." He looked curiously at her. _What was she hiding? She's had some trouble from trusting people, that much was clear. _How much trouble, that was far less certain. He laid his hand reassuringly on hers. "Hey," he softly said, meeting her eyes. "You can trust me."

Reyna looked uncertainly at Jarod. How she had been wanting to trust _some_one, but every time she trusted, she got hurt. She mentally sighed. Better safe than sorry, her mom always said. "No, I can't." Reyna shook her head. "I can't trust anybody. But… thank you for helping me. You probably saved my life." She gazed up at him with a thin smile and, after a minute's hesitation, got up and picked up her bag.

She was feeling better, but she knew the bruises would be troubling her for days. She was aching, and she was tempted to stick around and rest, but she resolutely stared at the entry of the alley. She needed to find someplace to hide for the night. She needed to rest, to let her body recuperate, but this wasn't the place, not with this man here. He was kind, but he was going to start asking questions, questions she didn't need asked. Questions like where she was from, why she was running, where her parents were… at the thought, she remembered the treasured watch still in her hand and carefully put it in her pocket. She shook her head. No, he must not get close to her, he can't find out about her past. He wouldn't understand. Sighing, she walked, albeit painstakingly, out the alley and turned the corner.

Jarod could only stare at her retreating form. He knew she had been burned badly, but what had happened to her that chased her inside herself? What had she been through? Shaking his head, he got up and trotted out the alley and scanned the street. He looked one way, then the other. There was no sign of the girl. He scratched his head. Where did she go, and how did she get out of sight so quickly? She was hurt. She couldn't have gone that far. Glancing at either end of the street, he chose one and jogged for a couple blocks. He looked in every storefront window and down every narrow alleyway, but there was no sign of the girl. He turned back, and did the same thing on the other side of the alley, with the same results. He stopped, shaking his head in bewilderment. He just couldn't figure out where she went, as injured as she was.

''''

Reyna crouched lower as someone passed by. She had managed to find two houses on the block with just enough of a gap between them in which to hide. Peeking around the trashcan she was crouched behind, she saw the man who had helped her walk past. As he peered in the alley, she shrank back. _He **can't** find me! He seems nice enough_, and she sensed there was something significantly more to him, like herself, but he must not discover her secrets. If he did… She shook her head. _Let's not get into that... for all I know, he could be with **them**._ She shivered at the thought. Something told her he wasn't, but why take the risk? If she took a chance, and she was wrong… it was too horrible to think about. She looked down at her arms at the latest wave of shivers. There were goose bumps all up and down both her arms. She just couldn't get over this fear! But… no. She needs it. Her survival **depends** on it, and if there's one thing she's learned during her life on the run, it's that fear can be a pretty powerful protector. Reyna sighed. Even though survival depends on secrecy and mistrust, it would have been nice to share some of her troubles with him. He sure seemed to be the kind of person to understand. She thought back to those eyes that caught hers for what seemed to be an eternity… such caring, such compassion… She shook her head to clear it. _Pay attention, girl, you can't trust **any**one,_ she thought to herself, wincing. She had forgotten she had some bruises up there. _No matter what you see in people's eyes._ Take the pain she had just experienced from shaking her head. That's what happens when you trust someone, anyone. Pain.

''''

After an hour of looking around the area several more times, he sighed and started his way back to his apartment. He hoped she was going to be okay, but was worried she might not be. _What was she so afraid of, that she wouldn't even go to the hospital?_ He wondered. Then it came to him. _I'm reluctant about hospitals because of the chances the Centre could find me. What if it's the same with her? What if she's running from someone who has been abusive, or something? It could be possible,_ he mused. After all, how many pretends has he done involving someone in power being abusive to someone weaker? _What if…_ Jarod shook his head. He needed to clear his mind. Worrying about the little girl was messing with his head. Now he's never going to get to sleep.

He collapsed on his hotel bed and closed his eyes. Maybe this night will grant him a good night's sleep. He had almost drifted off to the sweet slumber that had usually eluded him when a thought struck him. His eyes flew open.

_Hey, wait a minute…_

Jarod yanked himself up at the thought. that had just occurred to him. Some genius he was. With everything going on, he had forgotten to ask the girl for her name.

TBC…maybe, pending reviews!!! _(eg)_


	5. Chapter 5

Just a note to say that I'm NOT ABANDONING this fic! In fact, my muse has very graciously decided to come back for a visit, let's just hope it's a LONNNNNG one, b/c this story needs finishing!

GOOD NEWS:

I am working on this story as we speak, just a request.

I NEED a beta reader. Any volunteers? I have Chapter 5 done

Thanks to those who reviewed, and all my fans!


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